Line outage disrupts power in populous Puerto Rico region

by
Reuters

Wednesday, 15 November 2017 17:04 GMT

A family bathe and wash their car with mountain spring water after hurricane Maria hit the area in September, in Utuado, Puerto Rico November 9, 2017. Picture taken November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

Puerto Rico has struggled to recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's efforts to return power to 50 percent of the island following Hurricane Maria were disrupted on Wednesday when a technical problem shut a 230,000-volt line, according to a statement from Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA).

The outage is west of San Juan, but disrupted service in an area that includes San Juan and other populous municipalities of Bayamon and Guaynabo.

The line runs from the Cambalache plant in Arecibo, on the northern coast, to the Manati transmission center, Justo Gonzalez Torres, director of generation for PREPA, said in the statement.

The disruption is the second transmission line failure in as many weeks. Puerto Rico has struggled to recover from the devastation wrought by Maria, which knocked out power to all 3.4 million residents when it landed in mid-September.

PREPA, the island's utility, and Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello have a goal of bringing back electricity to 50 percent of the island by mid-November.